Caring for horses with philosophy
I participated on the 25th of November 2023 to the conference
Reconversion – Retraite – Fin de vie
La vie nouvelle après la carrière sportive – Retraite active ou mise au parc? –
Quand le vieillissement détermine la fin de vie at Institut Équestre Nationale Avenches.
The video of my presentation (in French)
L’éthique de la fin-de-vie et de l'euthanasie chez les chevaux : Comment aborder les choix et justifier les décisions? is available here.
Discussing Equine Ethics
September 1st and 2nd, 2022
University of Fribourg, CH
Equines and humans share a long history in which di- verse relationships have developed. Horses today are companions, (co-)athletes and working animals. They are used in research and entertainment or serve as status symbols.
Discussing Equine Ethics emerges from the current social context in which the issue of equine welfare has never been more central. In recent years, there has been a boom in critical attention toward equine cultures, driving theoretical research and bringing ethical concerns to the forefront of practitioners’ minds.
We are glad to welcome 19 speakers, who will present their research on theoretical and practical questions, representing what is at the heart of contemporary equine ethics concerns. Amongst which Professor Kendra Coulter from Western University will discuss key issues regarding the development of sustainable lives and work relations with horses. Dr. Vet. Stéphane Montavon, presenting for The Swiss Horse Industry Council and Observatory, will reveal the results of over a decade of research dedicated to mapping and detailing the most pressing ethical issues of current equine practices. Animal ethologist Dr. Marthe Kiley-Worthington, who has had immense influence in equine ethics over the past three decades, will present her most recent research on equine epistemology.
Registrations are open until August 15th.
To register: Discussing Equine Ethics: Taking Stock from Theory and Practice | Agenda de l'Université de Fribourg (unifr.ch)
Organisers: Dr. Maude Ouellette-Dubé, Dr. Friederike Zenker
Speakers
Kendra Coulter (Western University)
Stéphane Montavon (for COFICHEV)
Gala Argent (Eastern Kentucky)
Petra Andersson (SLU)
Debbie Busby (Manchester Metropolitan)
Amelia Cameron (Nottingham)
Sabrina Briefer Freymond (Agroscope)
Alex Franklin (Coventry)
Bianca Friedman (Edge Hill)
Tamzin Furtado (Liverpool)
Marthe Kiley-Worthington (Centre of Eco-Etho Research & Education)
Mariessa Long (Messerli Research Institute)
Sese Ma (Kyoto)
Anne-Laure Maigrot (Agroscope)
Marion Novet (Agroscope)
Lara Piccolo (Agroscope)
Anastasija Ropa (Latvian Academy of Sport Education)
Nora Schuurman (Turku)
Maisie Tomlinson (London)
Equine Cultures in Transition, June 22-24 2021
Equine Cultures in Transition is an international conference which brings together researchers and equine professionals, from all back grounds, to discuss the nature, needs and ethical challenges specific to horse-human relations.
This year, the 3rd edition is held online from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Uppsala Sweden).
This conference adresses a wide number of topics, ranging from historical and philosophical perspectives of the human-horse relations, to challenges in equine assisted therapy, to novel ways of equestrian coaching.
It is open to the general public and is now accessible to a broad audience in its online version.
To find out more or to register see the conference website.
My contribution
Within the panel "Historical, philosophical and ethical perspectives on human-horse relationships", I will have the pleasure of presenting the paper "Beyond abolitionism: for a caring account of horse-human relations".
In this paper, I take seriously the common idea, in animal ethics, that horses should be considered as subject with the right not to be exploited or utilized. My central question is : how do horses and humans form relations and which of these relations are ethical? I apply the concept of "caring relations" from Care ethics theory, to analyse the ways in which relations with horses are ethical or abusive.
